The single D.332 Emeraude was first flown on 11 July 1933 by test pilot Marcel Doret. An all-metal single-spar cantilever low-wing monoplane; it was intended for service with Air
Orient on its Paris-Saigon route. Power was provided by three 428.5kW Wright Cyclone radial engines and the aircraft had a trousered fixed landing gear. Several speed-with-load-over-distance world records fell to the D.332 in 1933 and it made many spectacular European flights. However it crashed on the final return stage of the inaugural Paris-Saigon service on 15 January 1935.

Three D.333s followed, each powered by 428.5kW Hispano-Suiza radial engines and accommodating ten passengers. One was lost in October 1937 while flying the Toulouse-Dakar service with Air France. The others flew in South America on the Buenos Aires-Natal route.

In 1936 the prototype of a new version appeared as the D.338. It was followed by 30 production examples for Air France. These had retractable landing gears, were powered by 484.5kW Hispano-Suiza V16/17 engines, and each accommodated up to 22 passengers. They were operated on the Paris-Cannes-Damascus-Hanoi and Paris-Dakar routes. Many continued to fly during World War II on government liaison and VIP duties and eight were used for a short time after the war.

The D.342 was a one-off development of the D.338, as was the D.620.

Specification

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CREW

4

PASSENGERS

22

ENGINE

3 x HS 9 Vd, 425kW

WEIGHTS

Take-off weight

11100 kg

24471 lb

Empty weight

6960 kg

15344 lb

DIMENSIONS

Wingspan

29.4 m

96 ft 5 in

Length

22.1 m

73 ft 6 in

Wing area

99.0 m2

1065.63 sq ft

PERFORMANCE

Max. speed

300 km/h

186 mph

Cruise speed

260 km/h

162 mph

Ceiling

5000 m

16400 ft

Range w/max.fuel

2000 km

1243 miles

Range w/max.payload

850 km

528 miles

Comments

Jean-Francois Fritsche, 21.08.2013

to Osvaldo Casagrande : Yes, at the end of the '30, Air France based two D333 Antares in Buenos Aires, for his local network. They were impressed by the Fuearza Aerea Argentina in 1944 (with the serial 172 and 173), in the Transport Regiment (BA El Palomar). One was written down at the beginning of 1946, the other one soldiered for one or two years more

No Dewoitine trimotor survive.

Oliver, 27.08.2011

Did any Dewoitine survived - on a boneyard, in a museum or even airworthy?

jean-rene cadorel, 31.07.2008

There was one at the Air France apprentice school (Centre d'Instruction de Vilgenis) in Massy (France)as a static display, in 1949, when I entered the school as an apprentice.

Osvaldo Casagrande, 28.02.2008

I remember two or three Dewoitines 338 flying in Buenos Aires by mid forties (1946 or so ). They were flown , I presume, by Air France pilots though the airplanes were at EL PALOMAR the argentine military airport. They were impressive airplanes to my young eyes and I can hear yet the hawling snort of their propellers. If I recall well at least one of them had a trousered fix landing gear.

Ronald Guy, 20.06.2007

I flew in a Dewoitine 338 from Paris (Le Bourget) to London (Heathrow) as late as July 1951.